Of atlanta



l. K. BARCROFT.

. PORTABLE JAIL C AGE. APPLlcAnoN FILED Dc.19,19|4

1,320,826. I Pamdmv. 4,1919.

SAT

JOSEPH K. BARCROEFT, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR TO AUSTIN BROTHERS, INC. OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, A CORPORATION OF GEORGIA.

PORTABLE JAIL-CAGE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4;, 1919.

Application led December 19, 1914. Serial No.; 878,149.

T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH K. BARCROFT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton, State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable Jail-Cages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to metallic structures and particularly portable jail cages.

It is an object of my invention to produce a portable jail cage in which the bars are arranged diagonally so as to support and strengthen the cage and avoid the necessity of struts, trusses or supports.

It is another object of my invention to provide a heating appliance for a jail cage which may be fed cage, or from outside the cage; which distributes the clean, dry heat throughout the cage and which sends its smoke off at one end of the cage, so as neither to disturb and annoy the occupants or cause danger of fire to curtains, bedding or the like.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description to follow proceeds:

In the drawing, Figure l is a side eleva-- tion of the cage constructed according to my invention. i

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the stove or heating attachment thereof.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same.

Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional view through the floor of the cage on a plane passing through the central portion of the stove.

The cage comprises a rectangular wagon body 1 having a longitudinal aisle down its center with bunks 2 on either side of the aisle, in this instance three in number. The front end of the wagon body is closed and may be provided with a suitable seat and a platform 4E for the driver. The rear end of the cage is usually made of sheet metal and provided with a sheet metal door and a step 5. The cage is mounted on wheels 6. The sides of the jail cage of my invention are composed of diagonally arranged lattice work 7, the bars of which are riveted together at every point of crossing, as indicated at 8. This construction makes an eX- tremely strong cage inasmuch as each bar acts as a truss or support for the cage. 4By this arrangement it is possible lto make a cage of considerable length without the by the occupants of the .terior boxes. the draft device 16; the removable cover 17,

necessity of a heavy beam at the bottom. In the particular instance disclosed, the cage is divided erosswise on either side of the aisle into three sections, one of which forms each tier of bunks, sheet metal partitions being attached to upright angle bars 9 which are attached in turn to the diagonal lattice work of the cage. At the end of the aisle of the forward end of the cage is a closet 10 for which is provided a soil bucket 1l, around which I have placed a screened box l2. i

Suspended from the'bottom of the cage by means of the lugs 13 is a stove of the grateless variety. This stove has an inner compartment 14 surrounded by the spaced shell 15. Sleeves are inserted at four places in the stove to aord passage from the outer air to the interior of the stove without affording a passage from the outer air into the space between the exterior and in- In these sleeves are mounted in the side of the stove; another removable cover 18 in the top of the stove and a Hue 19 which carries the smoke from the stove underneath the body of vthe wagon up through the floor thereof and out at the top of the front end thereof as indicated at 20. The flue 19 is so located as to be out of the way of curtains, bedding, etc., and it is impossible for it to set fire to anything in the cage.

The stove can obviously be fed by guards or attendants by removing the lid 17. It can also be fed by the occupants of the cage, by removing the lid 18, a trap-door 25 being located above this lid for that purpose. The outer casing 15 is provided at its bottom with a number of holes (not shown) and near its upper end with a plurality of iues 21 two such iiues being shown in this instance. These fiues discharge through gratings or registers at different points in the bottom of the cage. The cage is customarily provided, particularly in winter time, with outside curtains to cover the open latu tice work and protect the occupants from the weather. By having the heat from the stove distributed at various points in the cage a uniform temperature is maintained throughout the cage, which is thereby made much more comfortable. If the stove discharges heat directly up through the center of the cage, as it would without the flues 2l,

the occupants of the middle bunks would be too hot, While those in the end bunks would be too cold.

What I claim is:

l. A portable metallic jail cage, comprising an inclosed body mounted on wheels and having open work lattice sides, a heating stove suspended below and adjacent the center of the cage floor, means to permit the stove to be fed both from the interior and exterior of' the cage, means to conduct the heat to various parts of the cage, a toilet in one end of said cage, a depending screen covered frame work secured to the iioor of said cage below said toilet, said frame work being adapted to contain a removable soil bucket, and a flue leading from said stove to the end of said cage and thence up, said lue passing near said toilet to keep the pipes thereof from freezing.

2. A portable metallic jail cage comprising an inclosed body mounted on wheels and having continuous uninterrupted open sides, each of said sides comprising straight upper and lower longitudinal frame members to which the ends of the diagonal bars are. rigidly secured to cause said sides to act as a self-supporting truss, a plurality 0i' spaced vertical angle bars riveted to said lattice bars of both sides at points intermediate the ends of the cage to accommodate bunk partitions, a door in the end oi said cage, a heating stove suspended below and adjacent the center of the cage floor, means to permit said stove to be fed both from the interior and exterior of said cage, means to conduct the heat to various parts of said cage, and a iiue leading from said stove to the end of the cage and thence up to climinate danger of scorching or burning cur tains or the like.

In witness whereof I hereunto 'subscribe my name to this speciication in the presence of two witnesses.

- JOSEPH K. BARCROFT. Witnesses:

SAM l?. EVANS,

GEORGE B. Soi-IEFFEY.

Copies;` of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

` Washington, D. C. 

